As it is known, a method to access multimedia contents associated to a geographical area provides a device for storing the multimedia content and for reproducing or playing it for a user.
For example, in a geographical area like a museum, a device like an audio and/or video guide stores information associated to a plurality of items located there, i.e. artwork such as paintings, sculptures, etc.
Such devices include a mobile device rented to the user at the entrance of the museum so that the he may carry it during a tour in the museum, for listening and/or watching information associated to specific items.
Methods to access multimedia contents associated to a geographical area through a mobile phone are known. The methods include a user dialing a predetermined service number on the mobile phone, the mobile phone connecting to a multimedia content provider providing a list of multimedia contents. The user selects a multimedia content and receives it on the mobile phone for listening and/or watching.
Even if such methods are advantageous because they avoid a user renting the audio and/or video guide and carrying additional weight during the tour, they suffer from limitations. For example, the multimedia content device may not be stored into the mobile device, so that it may not be reproduced or played more than one time, and may not be suspended during the tour or restarted from the description of a specific item.
Moreover, the method may not transmit the multimedia content to the mobile phone if a network coverage of a telecom operator is not available in the geographical area of interest. Furthermore, such method may not manage phone calls entering the mobile phone while the mobile phone is connected to the multimedia content provider.
Other methods use a mobile device, more particularly a mobile computer or a PDA, to download the multimedia content of the geographical area of interest into a memory portion so that the multimedia content may be reproduced or played more than one time, even if the network coverage is absent in the geographical area of interest.
In fact, the user may download the multimedia content before reaching the geographical area of interest, connecting the mobile device with a multimedia content provider available in a network, for example to the Internet, and storing such content inside a memory portion for a following use.
Even if such method allows reproduction or playing of the multimedia content and avoids keeping the mobile phone busy during the listening and/or watching of items, it is limited for the fact that the user carries the PDA or the mobile computer.
Such PDA's and mobile computers are generally provided with a great number of functions but they are much more expensive, not small sized and light weight, and not so easy to be used.